U.S. High School Team Squash Championships Gators take aim at 4th straight national crown

David FierroJanuary 31, 2019

The championship portion of the season begins Friday for the top high school squash teams in the nation and Greenwich Academy is out to prove once again, that it’s the best of the best.

Greenwich Academy is aiming to add a fourth consecutive national title to its ledger when it competes in the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships at Trinity College in Hartford. The three-day tournament concludes Sunday and includes 87 girls teams in six different divisions.

Competing in Division I, the highest division, GA is seeded first in the 16-team bracket. The Gators will also have a B team in the tournament. Sacred Heart Greenwich is also one of the 16 squads that will showcase its skills in Division I.

In last season’s Division I final at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Greenwich Academy registered a 6-1 victory against Agnes Irwin School from Bryn Mawr, Pa.

The Greenwich Academy squad will be up and at it early on the tournament’s first day, as it will face St. Ann’s School from New York Friday at 8 a.m.

“We are very excited about competing in the tournament again, it is a big part of our year,” GA coach Luke Butterworth said. “We always make sure we have the right mentality going into the tournament and we’re excited to do the best that we can and hopefully, retain our title.”

The Division I tournament includes teams such as Deerfield Academy, one of Greenwich Academy’s rivals, Baldwin School, a team they played in the finals in the past, Agnes Irwin, Episcopal Academy and Penn Charter. Should GA defeat St. Ann’s in the first round, it will play the winner of St. Paul’s School and Episcopal Academy in the quarterfinal-round. The Gators swept to 7-0 victories over Lawrenceville School and Pingry School in the first two rounds of the tourney last year and notched a 6-1 win over Noble and Greenough School in the semifinals.

The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday at Trinity College. Junior Emma Carney has played at the No. 1 spot this season for the Gators. She is ranked 12th in her age group on the US Squash circuit.

“She has improved a lot and has had a great season so far,” Butterworth said of Carney. “She’s ready to help lead us at nationals.”

Senior Claire Aube, who will play squash at Dartmouth College next season, is at No. 2 for GA. She won her match at last season’s High School Team Championships, 3-0.

“Claire is undefeated at the No. 2 spot,” Butterworth said. “She’s always calm, cool, collected and will certainly help lead the team.”

Princeton University-bound Lucy Stephenson has won all her matches at the third spot. At last year’s tournament final, she took her match against Agnes Irwin, 3-1.

Binney Huffman, a junior, who plays at the No. 4 position, clinched the team’s triumph in the championship match at last season’s finals. India Stephenson, Lucy’s twin sister, who will also play squash at Princeton, has flourished at the fifth spot, while Lindsay Westerfield has made her mark at the sixth position.

Senior Haley Aube, Claire’s twin, who will bring her squash skills to Stanford next season, has dominated at No. 7, while sophomore Brecon Welch (No. 8 — alternate) has also topped the competition throughout the season. Haley Aube swept her foe in the title match a year ago.

Greenwich Academy’s two sets of twins — the Aubes and Stephensons have experienced the thrill of winning the U.S. championship their first three season’s on the squad.

“Experience is definitely a key factor to our team’s success,” Butterworth said. “They know how to deal with pressure. Squash can be an unpredictable sport sometimes, with situations occuring that are unexpected. So it’s important to approach each match with the proper mindset, which our team always seems to do.”

GA has won an unprecedented 11 national squash championships and they’ll be going for No. 12 on Super Bowl Sunday.

“The confidence level on our team is always high,” Butterworth said. “Our players do a great job of supporting each other — our team bond is very strong. They have great belief in their abilities and they are ready and excited for nationals.”